The boss of a company and his firm have been fined a total of £300,000 after a valuable redwood tree was illegally chopped down.
Fiorenzo Sauro was fined £180,000 after the tree - originally thought to be 200 years old - and 72 others were axed during building work on land close to Swansea's Penllergare Valley Woods, in Penllergaer, Swansea.
Enzo Homes Ltd, of which Sauro is a director, was fined £120,000 at Swansea Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, October 15.
As Sauro left the court he said "see you in Crown Court", indicating he would be appealing the judge's decision.
A sentencing hearing also saw tree contractor Arwyn Morgan, who felled the redwood in November 2018, fined £120,000 in total.
District Judge Neale Thomas said Sauro had shown no remorse or contrition during the trial in August.
Sauro had the highest culpability of all the defendants, but the judge had "never once heard a genuine apology forthcoming".
He said: "It's plain, and the evidence is overwhelming, that the second defendant (Fiorenzo Sauro) is a gentleman of some substance."
Tree surgeon Morgan, he said, was a graduate with over 30 years' experience. But the information about his finances, which claimed he earned a menial income of between £2,000 and £5,000 per year, was "woefully inadequate".
He suggested he had not accurately declared his true financial position.
But the earlier estimate that the giant redwood tree was worth nearly £250,000 has since been downscaled.
A measurement of the tree revealed the diameter of its trunk, and thus its age, was less than had been believed and the new value was put at £66,736.
The value for the other 72 trees, sited in ancient woodland, was £1,000 each, meaning the total value of the trees lost was around £138,000.
Earlier in the sentencing hearing today it was revealed Enzo Homes' turnover was between £8m and more than £12m per year between 2017 and 2019.
In an earlier written conclusion to the trial District Judge Thomas said those who chopped down the giant redwood did so in a "deliberate and defiant" breach of the order.
In the judgement, he criticised Sauro for "directing the trees should be felled."
He accused Sauro of lacking credibility as a witness, describing him as "not a convincing witness at all".
Of Mr Morgan, he said it was worth noting he was fully qualified and experienced as a tree surgeon.
He added: "I am satisfied he would have recognised the significance of this tree and the complexities of felling it."
At the trial in August the developer and his business were found guilty of breaching regulations when the giant protected redwood tree was felled at their housing development.
A number of protected trees were cut down last November on land close to Swansea's Penllergaer Valley Woods, next to the site of a housing development in November 2018, including a giant Redwood tree.
They were subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), which was placed when planning permission was granted to build the homes.
Tree contractor Arwyn Morgan, who felled the redwood tree, pleaded guilty to two charges of contravening tree preservation regulations on the first day of the trial at Swansea Magistrates' Court.
But the other two defendants - Fiorenzo Sauro and Enzo Homes Ltd, of which Sauro is a director - pleaded not guilty to contravening tree preservation regulations in a case brought by Swansea Council .
They were found guilty on the second day of the trial for the incident which the authority has since said "should serve as a warning to others".
Each defendant faced two charges, relating to the redwood tree and the 72 others.
Enzo Homes ltd was fined £60,000 on each charge; Sauro was fined £90,000 on each charge and Morgan was fined £60,000 on each charge.
The £17,000 costs were split between the three defendants, with Morgan paying just £2,000 of the cost, and the rest split between the remaining defendants.
The fines must be paid by December 31 this year.
Speaking after the sentencing, Mark Thomas, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure management, said: “Today’s outcome is a reflection of the hard work the council has undertaken to investigate this environmental crime.
“In monetary terms, these trees held a significant value but no amount of money or fine can replace the value of the trees in terms of what they mean to the community and Swansea as a whole.
“I would like to thank all the teams involved including our Tree Officers and our legal team.
“Hopefully today’s outcome will send a strong message out to developers or the public that removing protected trees without permission is something we will follow up strongly and through the courts if necessary."
But Neil Jones, diversity campaigner for Swansea Friends of the Earth, said the fine was not anywhere near adequate.
The most expensive property for sale at Enzo's Mansion Gardens development in Penllergaer is on the market for £600,000. And a four bedroomed detached home has been listed at £280,000.
According to the firm's website, the site comprises of 80 plots - with only five available left to buy.
